Who are we?
Worship: 9:30 a.m. on Sundays
Location: 1820 5th Ave. Rock Island, IL 61201
Phone: 309-788-9384
Email: office@tworiversumc.org
Community Meal: 12:00 p.m. on Saturdays.
We are a part of the United Methodist Church, which is one of the largest Protestant denominations in the world. Every United Methodist Church is unique, but the United Methodist Church has long been a place where people can “meet in the middle.” While that is getting more and more difficult in what seems to be a more angry world, we believe kindness, compassion, and the love of Christ can overcome these divisions. One of the most important parts of being a part of Two Rivers Church is that we welcome questions, discussion, creativity, and doubt. “We may not all think alike, but we may all love alike,” is a quotation from John Wesley, the founder of the Methodist movement.
Two Rivers United Methodist Church is a member of the Reconciling Ministries Network. We believe that loving another person is never a sin, and we advocate for the full inclusion of LGBTQ+ people into the life, ministry, and leadership of the church.
What to expect if you visit
If you come to worship with us, you’ll find a friendly greeter in the west entrance, which is adjacent to the main parking lot along 5th Avenue. There is an accessible ramp if you park on 19th Street, on the east side of the church. When you come into the sanctuary, you will find a choice between sitting at the round “cafe style” tables in the back, or in the more traditional wooden pews. There is also a balcony with a pretty nice view. You are welcome to some Fair Trade coffee and a snack. Take it to your seat or wait until after worship and sit down to meet some new friends.
We consider our style of worship to be “casual traditional.” We sing mostly traditional hymns accompanied by either organ or piano. Except for the summer, there will be a choir anthem. Special musical offerings will include soloists, the bell choir, and jazz Sundays.
Pastor Robb is passionate, connecting the story of God’s love in Christ with our lives. He is an energetic preacher and seldom stays behind the pulpit. He is deeply seeped in modern scholarship and progressive theology. He usually preaches in series, meaning that blocs of 4-6 sermons are connected and built upon themes and connections.
There is no dress code. You’ll find more t-shirts than ties. Kids are welcome. There is a PrayGround – a special area for kids to sit with coloring books, activities, and some space to spread out. There is also a connected room with a full window and rocking chairs if you want a little extra privacy with little ones. Kids can also grab an activity bag to bring to their seat if they don’t want to be in the Prayground.
During the school year, there is an adult Sunday school class upstairs in Asbury Parlor. There is also a Swahili Sunday School class that meeting in a classroom off the hallway across from the sanctuary. Kids and youth usually go downstairs to Epworth Hall to start Sunday school.
Upcoming events
April 8, 15, 22 – Lent in 3D
At 6:00 p.m. on Tuesday nights, we gather in Asbury Parlor (upstairs) for dinner, a documentary, and discussion. Each week we watch a different compelling film to learn about issues in our community and world. The next three documentaries we watch will focus on the plight of African and Burmese refugees.
April 17 – Maundy Thursday
We will gather at Two Rivers Church in Epworth Hall (downstairs) at 5:30 p.m. for a special pot-luck meal and worship service. Our friends at Church of Peace UCC will join us for this is a unique experience that blends fellowship, singing, a wonderful meal, liturgy, and Bread and the Cup. We will enter the story of Jesus’ last few hours on earth and experience the denial, betrayal, and arrest of our Lord.
April 18 – Good Friday
Christ UMC (East Moline) will host a Good Friday service at 12:00 p.m. Bishop Kennetha Bigham-Tsai will be leading the worship service along with clergy from multiple United Methodist churches across the Quad Cities. There will also be combined music ensembles from the various UMC congregations.
Current Series
During the season of Lent we will follow Jesus on his journey from Galilee to Jerusalem. The theme “Mercy” flows through every Sunday we gather.
Connect to Two Rivers
There are two regular communications that help you stay updated on all that is going on at Two Rivers Church. The Compass is a paper newsletter that gets mailed every month. There is a pdf version online, and you can download from the archive that goes back to 2022.
There is also a weekly email that includes a sermon recap from the previous Sunday as well as news and information about things that are coming up.
Sermon Archive
You can read a recap of every sermon since Easter 2020. There are also links here to every Worship at Home video that has been posted to Youtube. Click on the Sermons banner above to get to the archive page.
Church History
For over a century, Two Rivers Church was known simply as “First Church,” because it was the first church in the Quad Cities, organized as a house gathering in 1830, and assigned a Methodist circuit pastor in 1833. The current building was dedicated in 1890. Today, Two Rivers Church serves the entire Quad Cities Area.
- 1833: Organized as a mission church, renamed in 1836 as First Methodist Episcopal Church at Spencer cabin
- 1835: The City of Rock Island was established, although it was first known as Stephenson. It was renamed Rock Island in 1841.*
- 1844: Built first church
- 1856: Built second church
- 1889: Built present stone church, dedicating it 1890
- 1939: Changed name to First Methodist Church
- 1964: Bought Camp Milan from Central Illinois Conference for $1
- 2003: The first Saturday meal is served. At first it was served on both Saturday and Sunday. 20 years later, the only Saturdays it misses is when Saturday falls on Christmas and New Year’s Day.
- 2008: Merged with Memorial Heights UMC and became Two Rivers United Methodist Church.
- 2013: Two Rivers United Methodist Church Celebrated 180 years!
- 2014: Rev. Robb McCoy begins his ministry at Two Rivers Church.
- 2020: Two Rivers Church shifts to “Worship at Home” videos. The Meal Site however, never stopped functioning. They shrunk their volunteer crew, and converted to “carry out only” for the rest of the pandemic.
- 2023: The people of Two Rivers Church vote overwhelmingly to become a “Reconciling Congregation.” After a six-month process of study, discernment, discussion, and prayer, the church adopts a welcome statement that affirms the inclusion of LGBTQ+ in all aspects of church life and leadership.
